"I could get used to this," Peter murmured through a deep, rumbled sigh. He stretched out his legs on one of the massive king-sized beds situated in the hotel room Rebekah had snagged last minute. Stiles wasn't about to ask how she'd managed it, because he was pretty sure she hadn't been very moral about it.

Though he had to admit, it was nice. Stiles wasn't sure he'd ever stayed in a place as, what was the word...regal? Yes, that's probably the best word that he could associate this place with. It was the size of an apartment, but with more gold trim and fewer family photos. Two king-sized beds pressed against the wall to the right as you walk in and a sitting area complete with a couch and a fireplace to the left. Straight ahead was a balcony protected with floor-to-ceiling windows that sometimes tricked his eyes, making Stiles think there wasn't a barrier at all.

They were in a ritzy place just outside of Las Vegas, killing time until they got there. Who might that be, one might ask? Oh, the rest of the original family.

Stiles swallowed hard, remembering his last run-in with Klaus. He recalled his reaction when he'd mentioned Derek's name. The absolute murderous rage emanating from the man had been enough to leave Stiles terrified for Derek. Derek, big alpha Derek rarely showed fear. This meeting would be no less dangerous than the splitting of the atom.

Casting a glance in Derek's direction, brows turned down and forehead creased with worry, he wondered if he'd have to help hide his body by the direction of Hope's hybrid father.

"What?" Derek's brows skewed awkwardly as he folded his now clean, but torn clothes and put them in a sack. He'd immediately changed into clothes the hotel offered as soon as he could, but could still feel the dirt of the desert under his nails.

"Oh, nothing," Stiles smiled stiffly, "Just wondering how long before you're killed by Hope's father and I am, yet again, scarred for life."

"Nik won't kill you," Rebekah said as she walked out of the bathroom, dressed in silk pajamas and a matching cloth wrapped around her hair. She tapped Peter's boots, "Get your boots off the furniture. That's disgusting. I don't want to sleep where your feet have been."

With a smirk, Peter slipped his boots off, letting them fall to the carpet. A sprinkle of dirt decorates the off-white shade.

"Get off that bed and take a shower you disgusting wolf!"

Peter stood, towering over Rebekah while holding that smile of his. Eyes glittering mischievously. "A shame you don't like dirt because I can definitely get..."

"Please," Stiles chimed in, "I beg of you, do not finish that sentence."

Rebekah steeled herself and tightened her jaw. "Do be sure to dry off. I detest the smell of a wet dog."

Peter chuckled in his throat before turning and going to the bathroom where he shut the door behind him.

"Infuriating," Rebekah muttered as she wiped away the dirt he left behind. "Anyway," she sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Derek, "Don't worry about my brother. He knows if he's to choose between killing you and Hope's happiness, he will choose her happiness every time. He'll try to intimidate you," she rolled her eyes, "But hold yourself with purpose and he will respect that. And Elijah and Hayley will be here as well. Voices of reason." She nodded as she picked up a wine bottle and glass from the cart near the end of the bed.

"I'm not out to impress him," Derek shook his head, "I couldn't care less if he likes me or not. I'm saving Hope regardless. He can either help me or step aside."

Rebekah was silent for a moment and the corners of her lips curved into a wicked smile as sharp as a dagger's edge while her eyes cast just above his shoulders and back to his again. "You say that with such confidence. That's how you truly feel?"

Stiles stiffened and stared at the wall opposite everyone else.

"Yes," Derek said with a shrug. "Doesn't matter. I either get Hope out or I die trying. It's that simple."

Rebekah swirled her wine glass with a slow nod "You just met, you know. Feelings like that don't usually appear so quickly. What makes you so sure?"

Hesitating a moment, Derek looked up at her "I don't know enough about Hope's kind, but with ours, there are sometimes certain connections that are just..naturally strong. I may have known her for only a few weeks, but it feels like..."

"A hundred years?" Rebekah asked with a small smile and nodded "Hm, I suppose you're saying that you two are...soulmates, then?"

"I guess you can call it that," Derek nodded, "You don't have to believe me. It sounds like some romantic cliche, I get that, but whether you think soulmates exist or not, that won't change what I feel for her."

"I hope not." A different voice spoke from behind him, situated at the front door.

Derek turned his head slowly, looking over his shoulder at the three strangers at the front door. He hadn't heard them come in, hadn't even sensed them at all. Were his senses so dulled from exhaustion or was that a talent they had?

"Nik," Rebekah smiled, "We were just talking about you. Derek, these are my brothers, Niklaus and Elijah. Hayley, Hope's mother, and practically my sister."

Stiles squinted his eyes, waiting for the explosion to go off from the atom that had just been split.

Klaus, having not taken his eyes off of Derek since entering, began walking toward the man. His lips spread into a smile, a smile that didn't seem so genuine with the contrast of his dark glaring eyes. "Hello, Derek. I've heard something of you, though not from my daughter. Surprisingly enough. No, I heard about you from your friend, Stiles. Isn't that grand? Someone who professes to be so much in love with my own blood, yet I've only just learned about you. Why do you think that is?" He asked, continuing on until he was face to face with him. Inches apart.

Holding completely still, Derek heard Elijah's soft warning, "Niklaus..."

Derek forced himself to keep his gaze level with his. To keep his heart rate calm and his breathing steady. "I wouldn't know," he finally said, "Ask her when we save her."

They held eye contact for what seemed an eternity before Klaus finally broke into a wolfish grin. "Hm, well, I hope you're ready for this. Elijah," he walked around Derek and went to the coffee table between the sitting furniture and cleared it off, "We need a plan and we need it quickly."

Elijah and Hayley set everything that they would need for planning their rescue mission. Hope's laptop, which held the dot Hayley had wisely screen saved before it had blipped out of existence not long after appearing. In addition, there was a map of the arena as sketched by an inside source whom Marcel refused to give the name of.

"There's a good chance they discovered the tracker and that's why it disappeared." Hayley began as she sat down on the sofa in front of the table. "That was hours ago. They could have moved by then, so we need to take that into account.

The cupped chair to the right of the sofa squished down under Derek's weight as he sat. "I think there's a good chance they'd still be there. This is all about money and power. They want to make money off her and they can't do that if they start canceling matches. If anything they probably moved her to a more secure location."

Stiles inched closer as the bathroom door opened and Peter joined them while drying off his hair.

Elijah set narrowed eyes on the shirtless man.

"Peter," Rebekah introduced, "He has many titles. Derek's uncle. Dickhead. Call him whatever you'd like."

"Ouch," Peter smirked as he looked over Derek's shoulder at the map on the table, "Are the numbers referring to depth?"

Nodding, Hayley leaned, looking at the numbers more closely. "Looks like it runs two miles below the surface..."

"Well, hate to say it, but if it were me and I wanted to put someone in safe keeping I'd go the full two miles," Peter nodded, "That's not something we'd be able to just get to, because don't pretend none of you weren't contemplating digging to where she is to enter unseen. Won't work, you'd be excavating for days and with that running risk of collapsing any tunnels that are there."

Rebekah spoke now. "What would be so wrong with collapsing just a few? It could keep others from gaining..."

"While blocking any other possibility of an exit if something were to go wrong," Derek shook his head, "It's too much of a risk."

"Okay...so we can rule out coming in without any detection," Stiles sighed as he studied the map with furrowed brows, "So then what? What are we supposed to do? Walk in through the front doors and say, 'hey, we're just infiltrating your business, nothing to see here.'"

They were all quiet for a moment. Some exchanged glances while others stared blankly at the wall as if the answer might write itself on the flat surface.

"They want a show for the audience," Klaus began, "So we give it to them."

"How's that?" Stiles asked, brows raised.

Klaus touched a part of the map. It was segmented into three levels, the upper arena, the second level which seemed a holding area, and the bottom caverns for who knew what. His fingertip grazed the entrance of the arena. "Elijah and I enter here. We're the biggest threats they'll think to see, we'd be the top priority. We enter the next fight and give them a show of our own. Let it play out for as long as needed while Rebekah, Hayley, and..." he cast a glance at Derek and Peter, "You two slip in from the sides while the crowd is distracted. You'll part ways here," he pointed to the cavern where there was a fork in the path, "both parties will be able to search for Hope."

Stiles shot his hand into the air. "Not to be a nitpick here, but uhm...am I supposed to just be here and twiddle my thumbs?"

Klaus chuckled and smirked "Hm, not often I meet a human so eager to die."

The face Stiles made contorted as his eyes narrowed and lips parted to speak, rethinking his choice of words. "I...would love not to die, but Hope is my friend. I'd like to help, even if I don't have all the scary cool abilities everyone else does."

"How are you with technology?" Hayley asked.

Stiles gave a nod "I could probably get an A in the class if they didn't count attendance, why?"

"We would need a way to communicate," Hayley continued, "You could help us keep in contact with each other. When we find Hope we'll have to move fast to get out, especially if they decide to use the little gadgets we found at Hope's place. Doesn't matter how immortal we are, the things they created are nasty and could slow us down which leads to mistakes. We can't take risks getting her out. If we have to go back to destroy the place, so be it, but getting her out is our main focus." Her eyes locked with Klaus' now. "Right? Safety first, revenge later."

Everyone waited before Klaus finally nodded. "Yes. First Hope's safety, then the downfall of all involved."

"Agreed." Elijah and Derek said in unison.

"So when's the next fight?" Peter asked.

Elijah slipped his phone out "I'll call Marcel, and ask if he can keep us up to date on upcoming fights." He left the room to enter the joined kitchen only slightly cut off from the rest of them.

Derek took a slow, deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face. Trying to revive the sleepless nights he'd been enduring.

"You need some rest." Hayley's voice sounded closer now.

When Derek looked up he saw she was sitting much closer to him now. For the first time, he really looked at her features. He'd been so focused on keeping himself solid against Klaus and his intimidation tactic that he hadn't really looked at Hope's mother. She and Hope... looked so alike. Down to the same determined eyes. He knew Hope had gotten much of her physical strength from her father, but the emotional strength? That had to be all Hayley.

Derek nodded slowly, it seemed it was all he could do lately. His throat was still dry from desert dust.

"Go," she nodded to one of the beds, "We'll wake you if something happens. You need your strength if you're going to save Hope."

"I'll be alright on the couch." He offered a small smile and gave a nod of respect. Rebekah had been right- Hayley was a voice of reason, but he knew he wouldn't want to get on her bad side. His instincts knew that for certain.

She nodded with a small smile and squeezed his knee before standing up to join Elijah in the kitchen.

Everyone seemed to disperse quickly. Rebekah took one bed while Peter begrudgingly took the other, trying to tell her they'd save room if they bunked together. Derek rolled his eyes, but Peter had been fairly quick to shut up when Klaus looked his way. He hadn't been able to quite see the murderous intent behind his eyes, but it was enough for Peter to drop the subject quickly and roll over for some sleep.

Stiles, well, he was passed out on the settee near the window. His jaw slacked and snored lightly while his arm was set into such an awkward position one might think he'd dislocated it. No one else seemed to be uncomfortable sleeping with the original vampires in their midst.

Derek, while lying on the couch, eyes closed and one arm behind his head for support could feel the searing gaze of Klaus from the cupped chair he'd been in previously. He didn't let his guard down, not for a moment. It took everything in him not to match his stare, to advance on the challenge he seemed to set right in front of him. Right now wasn't about some alpha male dominance crap, this was about Hope and getting her out of that horrible place alive. He could question Klaus' authority over him another time.

Despite the comfort of expensive leather beneath him, Derek knew this would be a very long night.

Stiles snorted in his sleep.

A very, very long night.

We're coming for you, Hope. We're coming.